Joshua Vs. Usyk – A Potential Spanner In The Works

By Boxing News - 08/08/2021 - Comments

By Marcus Foulkes: When the news broke a few weeks ago that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury were to collide, with undisputed heavyweight bragging rights on offer for the victor, most of the boxing world (me included) let out a collective sigh of relief.

Finally, after all was said and done, finally we were to crown an undisputed king in the so-called ‘glamour division’ of boxing, the first in the four-belt era.

The date and location were locked in, the terms agreed, and the fighters themselves even took to social media to talk up this momentous occasion.

It really is no cliché when people say the undisputed heavyweight world championship fight is the biggest fight boxing has to offer.

It’s a fight that draws in eyes from across the entire globe, even fresh eyes that may not have gazed upon boxing beforehand, and that can only benefit the sport and the fighters in the long run.

Anthony Joshua was ready to go, and seemingly Fury was too, but as we all now know, a judge ruled in favor of Deontay Wilder’s and Tyson Fury’s rematch clause, and the clamoring for a top dog in the heavies goes on a little longer for disappointed fight fans around the world.

Image: Joshua Vs. Usyk – A Potential Spanner In The Works

However disappointed we may be, we still have two magnificent fights to look forward to, the Fury/Wilder fight in October and the one we’ll be going over; Joshua Vs. Usyk.

After the AJ/Fury megafight fell through, mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk was announced as the next opponent attempting to dethrone the British superstar and put himself in line for heavyweight greatness.

As a former undisputed cruiserweight world champion, and with the mesmerizing skillset he possesses, Oleksandr Usyk has a real chance to stake his claim as one of the true all-time greats of boxing, certainly in the current era.

If Usyk manages to topple Joshua and then fights and defeats the winner of the third Fury/Wilder tear up in October, he will make history on top of history by being crowned undisputed at cruiserweight AND heavyweight in the four-belt era, and that is just mind-blowing to comprehend.

It is quite something to win world titles in each of those divisions, but to be undisputed world champion in both, and while disposing of world-class opposition along the way….that would be a truly amazing achievement for the Ukrainian magician.

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With his talent, and even though he hasn’t been at his most electrifying in his newfound physique, Usyk is more than capable of pulling it off.

The challenge he faces now, though, is towering, to say the least.

Anthony Joshua is a big, strong, and hungry powerhouse that has finely tuned his aggressive, go-for-the-kill style into a beast of a specimen that can box extremely well for the full twelve rounds while still attaining the ability to layout any man he lands flush on.

The question with this particular fight isn’t whether Usyk can out-box AJ because Usyk can out-box any fighter on his day.

The real question with this fight is, can Usyk keep off a heavyweight as big and powerful as Joshua for 36 minutes without succumbing to sheer size and physicality.

Image: Joshua Vs. Usyk – A Potential Spanner In The Works

 

From what I’ve seen so far from the supremely talented Ukrainian and events in general that have unfolded recently…. ANYTHING is possible.

Joshua will go into the fight as the betting favorite, but will I be surprised if Usyk masterfully dissects AJ on route to a shut-out victory?

Not in the slightest.